[Magicman74]

No I haven't opened them up, I might do it a little later on. 
I'm doing a A/B right now.  The TBSE are Brighter for sure and less Bass.  Could be the Holes you mentioned?  My thought's is the Removable cable could be playing a part as well.
Even a small part.  I'm not a big cable dude like I said before, But without looking inside the cups that's all I can go by at this time.

 

[doublea71]

M50 pads are on their way, very stoked to A/B them vs. stock. 

 

[sofastreamer]

is it just me or do these koss really beat the dt770 le, cops, mdr-1r and m100s in terms of soundstage, detail and airyness? right now i do not have my srh940s here, to do a comparison, but i would say, that the koss are not far away from them in detail capability. if only he koss would not roll off as early in the sub bass area. i have the dj200 by the way.
 
edit: oh, and instrument separation is just awesome. 

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

is it just me or do these koss really beat the dt770 le, cops, mdr-1r and m100s in terms of soundstage, detail and airyness? right now i do not have my srh940s here, to do a comparison, but i would say, that the koss are not far away from them in detail capability. if only he koss would not roll off as early in the sub bass area. i have the dj200 by the way.
 
edit: oh, and instrument separation is just awesome. 

Haven't tried any of those headphones, but i did have the DT-770 Pro 80 for awhile. Wait until you try the DJ100 with M50 pads and it's soundstage improves even further. I don't think it's soundstage is very airy, at least not like my HD-650 or Q701, but that is kind of expected for a closed headphone.
 
The biggest improvement for me with soundstage size and instrument separation was when I got my HRT MSII and later with the ODAC. I never had a clue or even knew a nice DAC could improve a closed headphone's soundstage so much. It even improved my old M50.
 
To get the largest soundstage and best instrument separation I suggest the ODAC+Magni and M50 pads. I haven't tried the O2, but I'm sure it's very similar to the Magni.
 
I need to write down a list of songs where they made me feel that the TBSE/DJ100 was almost an open headphone (with my main setup and pad upgrades!). Some of the Cyril Morin stuff did.
 
When I made a DJ100 into an open headphone it's soundstage was almost like the size of the K501's. I did A/B comparisons with the 598 at the time. It's just baffling because I only had it in an HD-497 shell! I never perfected the sound though. The 497 is one of the few very portable open headphones, but discontinued of course. Looks like the HD-201, but open.
 
I liked the SRH-940, but I had the KRK KNS-8400 and DJ100 at the time and felt those were better. The SRH-940 is nice, but I'd never pay more than $200 for it. I did an old comparison of it against the KRKs, M50, DJ100 and a few others, but I don't know what happened to it. My comparison notes are in this thread somewhere. I'd definitely buy an SRH-940 if they were $150-$175. I always liked the SRH-840, but not it's comfort.
 
I actually think the DJ100 is more revealing than people give it credit for. All the detail is there, but it never shoves it in your face like my DT-880 did. Of course this all totally varies with what it's attached to! With the ODAC+Magni (or my Micro) i'd be surprised if there's something on my Q701 that's not there on my DJ100. Usually I find closed headphones more detailed though. Level of detail is so overrated though. Usually when someone says a headphone is more detailed it's usually due to a boosted frequency or something. Not just treble. I didn't experience this until I heard stuff on my KRK KNS-6400 that was non-existent on my 8400!
 
EDIT:
 
I'm ok with it's low bass extension. For me it's about the same as my HD-650, but is a tiny bit more present/boosted. The Pro 80 definitely had WAY more sub-bass,but that's obvious to about everyone. I love the bass with these Pearstone (modded) pads).

 

[Magicman74]

Update on the Zomo Velours, It's a No-Go...They are nice and plush but to Small, even if you tried to get them to fit , not gonna happen.  Too bad because they seem like a nice set!!!  Very Beyer like!!

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Update on the Zomo Velours, It's a No-Go...They are nice and plush but to Small, even if you tried to get them to fit , not gonna happen.  Too bad because they seem like a nice set!!!  Very Beyer like!!

 
Thanks for the update. I hate when that happens! You don't want to know how much money i've wasted on DJ100 pads. I wish I could have made DT-250 pads work because those were very comfortable. They just made the sound too fatiguing and "shouty".
 
Think i'll experiment on some M40 pads tonight..Strangely they're larger than stock pads but not as comfortable really. At first they seem like, but the pads are not that deep.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

i really wonder what a totally on ear version would sound like. I like the sound better when it's closer to my ears. 

 

[Magicman74]

Quote:

 
Thanks for the update. I hate when that happens! You don't want to know how much money i've wasted on DJ100 pads. I wish I could have made DT-250 pads work because those were very comfortable. They just made the sound too fatiguing and "shouty".
 
Think i'll experiment on some M40 pads tonight..Strangely they're larger than stock pads but not as comfortable really. At first they seem like, but the pads are not that deep.

Yeah The seller said I could return them if they didn't work out.  I don't want him to return my cash. That's not a big deal. He sells M50/840/940 velours..  So I'll most likely just do a swap out.  I wanted to try some Velours but I think the 940's are too big??

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Yeah The seller said I could return them if they didn't work out.  I don't want him to return my cash. That's not a big deal. He sells M50/840/940 velours..  So I'll most likely just do a swap out.  I wanted to try some Velours but I think the 940's are too big??

 
SRH-940 pads (if they're the same as SRH-1840 pads) kill the bass.Trust me you'll hate them. I mean it's like non-existent bass really.
They just barely fit.
 
Your best bet is Pearstone Velours. I'm pretty sure i'm sticking with these. I only like them with holes on the inside.
 
I tried out my M40 pads again. They're like M50 pads but not as deep and are the V6 type foam, but taller and have more room in the pads.
It gives the DJ100 the largest soundstage, but the sound is perhaps a little more harsh (only really with bad tracks).
It's kind of a shock at first because some stuff seems so distant due to the larger soundstage. There is also less warmth than stock and M50 pads.
 
I guess when you get a larger soundstage you get less warmth and a less forgiving sound. The Pearstone pads with holes on the inside balance everything out. Slightly smaller soundstage than M50 pads but retains warmth and has a larger soundstage than stock.
 
BTW Radiohead's "Dollars and Cents" with M40 pads sounds like what I'd hear on an open headphone but it's a bit harsh during some parts of it. Maybe it's the songs fault.
 
I think the M40 pads with a piece of acoustic foam inside would be PERFECT. Going to try this now..
 
I also noticed the M40 pads have two "vent" holes on the inside. The M50 pads have a few more I think.
 
EDIT: I wonder what it is EXACTLY that creates warmth from the Pearstone pads? My idea is it's due to a VERY good seal that's better than stock. Despite your ears being slightly further from the driver, the bass is not reduced and the mids don't seem any less forward. Overall the Pearstone pads (with hole mod) seem the most balanced. Some might not want the DJ100 any warmer, but the difference is minor.

 

[tdockweiler]

I noticed something really neat with the M40 pads. There is two "vent" holes on each pad on the inside.
If you listen to "Monk with Bell" on the Baraka Soundtrack the bass is like very very reduced in volume. Not like it should be.
If you cover up these holes, the bass is back to normal! Low-bass is more present (only like it should be) and there's a little touch of warmth added.
Hard to believe something so minor could do this. Oh wait, probably expectation bias right?

 
So it makes sense now why adding holes to the Pearstone pads makes them a little less warmth and not too bloated in the bass.
 
Also...the free Tony Bennett album sounds so much worse on M40 pads without those holes covered.
 
So what I'd like to do is figure out how to get stock pads to sound nearly 100% identical in sound to modded Pearstone pads or M50 pads.
 
My idea was a piece of thin tubing around the inside edges (like the ATH-AD2000 "phat pad mod") and then a circle of foam like found on M50 and Pearstone pads.
The tubing will lift the edges up slightly for a better seal.

 

[tdockweiler]

I just spent like an hour trying out some things to make the DJ100 sound better with different pads.
 
The reason the M40 pads lack warmth is that they're too open and tall. They also have the two "vent" holes.
I covered these holes and placed inside the pads some foam and now they sound much more similar to the modded Pearstone pads.
A little more warmth than stock pads.
 
I also found out a way to increase the warmth of the stock DJ100 pads and increase bass slightly. You just place a round circle of acoustic foam inside the pads!
Unfortunately mine is a bit too thick. The warmth is OK, but the bass is a bit bloated. Some may like it though.
 
I think a really thin piece of foam would be perfect.Not sure where on earth to find. It's not your typical foam, but the ultra thin layer found on the back of the M50 pads.
Any ideas?
 
So as mentioned earlier, the foam and a VERY good seal is key. The more room inside the pads the larger the soundstage seems to be. My guess was more air in between the driver and your ear the more treble you seem to get. I could be wrong. The Pearstone pads are not that roomy, but still sounds good.
 
I'm surprised this thick foam didn't muffle the sound. I couldn't get any really great results because it's a bit too thick.
 
I wonder if there are any round pads with foam backings? I wonder if the HDJ-2000 pads have foam behind them..probably not.

 

[Magicman74]

Wanted to come back and give a shout out to [size=10pt]digitaldjgear.[/size]
[size=10pt]If you are in the U.S and are looking for M50 pads, Gives these guys a shout out.  Very Professional Service!!  It's really hard to find stand out guys, these guys rank right up there.[/size]
[size=10pt]Support small business' like this is always a good idea[/size], IMO
 
Check em out here:  They have a small selection of goods, but will take good care of you!!  (And no it's not myself or even friends, just a great set of guys to try out)
 
http://stores.ebay.com/DigitalDJGear/_i.html?rt=nc&_sid=1046188002&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1513&_pgn=1

 

[tdockweiler]

Bought some SRH-940 pads. Fingers crossed they have foam backings and are actually different than SRH-1840 pads.
Most likely more money down the drain. I read a post today saying that they didn't really reduce the bass at all.
 
For now I'm sticking with the Pearstone pads. They're very comfortable after you use them for a week. I've been using them every other day while playing Dark Souls with my Magni.
 
I also found these pads:
 
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/888545-REG/Auray_eps_mdr7506_Genuine_Sheepskin_Leather_Earpads.html
 
Does anyone know offhand if the HM5 pads have foam backings? Mine will be in maybe next week.
 
Pioneer HDJ-2000 pads also should fit and they're real leather. I will skip them since they're probably not deep enough.
Someone did mention they use memory foam but I doubt it. They cost $30 at B&H.
 
Oh yeah.. Pearstone pads are now called "Auray Deluxe Velour Pads". Here's a link to them:
 
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/886945-REG/Auray_epd_mdr7506_Deluxe_Velour_Earpads_Pair.html
 
Probably not worth buying until you poke small holes in them on the insides. It also takes a week for them to get more comfortable.

 

[sofastreamer]

all i said yesterday was meant using the m50 pads!
 
what do you mean by foam backing? as i said, i tried hm5 pads, but they kill the treble somewhat.

 

[freegood]

I agree that the cable on the TBE isn't up to snuff. I'm using a monoprice cable and everything sounds a little more richer and detailed. The problem? They're made for stereo systems and heavy as hell! 
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021812&p_id=5576&seq=1&format=2
 
Enjoying these cans. Getting the q701 in a few weeks. 
 
Such an expensive habit I've picked up...
 
 
Quote:

Fit pretty seamless to me, Don't buy cheap Chinese knockoffs. The " Original M50's" cost $20 or over!!

 
Is there any way to tell if they're knockoffs outside of price?